Rock County Aqua Jays to again host July 4 event

The Rock Aqua Jays’ Board of Directors voted Thursday to again host Independence Day on the Rock over Fourth of July weekend next year.

“We’re still going to have the event,’’ said Joel Shapiro, club president. “But we’re scaling it back to mostly a late afternoon/early evening event. And the primary part of it will be the ski show and the fireworks.

When the club first hosted the event at Traxler Park in 2010, activities started in the morning. Last year, things got going around 11 a.m.

“We know we can raise enough money to pay for the fireworks through donations. But the revenue stream isn’t big enough to pay for all those additional activities associated with having or attempting to have a full days worth of events. It’s all those extra little things that add up.”

Shapiro last month also said board members are reaching out to the community to see if some businesses and larger organizations would be willing to underwrite the cost of fireworks.

The hope is to have some food vendors available during the late afternoon/early evening hours for those scoping out spots to sit for the fireworks, Shapiro said.